FIRST Handbook

The FIRST Handbook, written by Cari C, is now published! It is available as an iBook or a PDF. In the introduction she writes:

This handbook is intended to be a tool for anyone who chooses to use it. The world of FIRST, particularly FRC, is complex. It’s impossible for any one person, or any whole team even, to know everything about everything. However, this compilation of knowledge should help anyone in pursuit of understanding the culture and ways of FIRST.

Team 3061 is a returning FRC team whose growth is primarily due to experience and collaborative thinking. In our career as a FIRST team, we have certainly experienced both successes and failures, and utilize them both to improve each year. Burned-out Jaguars and poorly sketched pieces are no longer in vain, but rather a reminder for what not to do on future robotics endeavors.

These complied materials are not a how-to guide or a cheat sheet; there are no step by step instructions or solidified methods of robot design for a surefire win. These facts and figures should be used as a background, a starting point, to accelerate progress and increase innovation.

Most importantly, the information covered in this iBook is a collaboration of many teams, minds, sources, and experiences. FIRST continues to innovate, and so should everyone involved. Therefore, this will be a dynamic source, where teams are not only welcomed but encouraged to supplement with their own experience and creativity.

Team 3061 aims for this handbook to inspire. Its purpose is to prove that with a little background knowledge, we can accomplish incredible feats.